Dr Dicky Ng

 March 27, 2026 According to research on Happiness, life with a purpose produces a sense of meaning and accomplishment, and also contributes to the overall wellbeing of a person. It’s been found that a greater meaning in life is gained when our accomplishments are centred in service for others. Dr Martin Seligman states that meaning in life is the “feeling of belonging and serving something larger than self.” Since you are uniquely designed with a special set of abilities, why not use your talents to help others and experience real satisfaction. Various studies report that looking out for others boosts life satisfaction. A recent study on socially anxious individuals found that engagement in kind acts causes anxious individuals to have higher levels of positive emotions. A pilot study of retirees who volunteered more than 10 hours per week showed a higher score on a Purpose in Life test compared to those who volunteered 10 hours or less per week. Even heart surgery pa...

 March 21, 2026   Selamat Hari Raya Adilfitri!  Eid Mubarak!   It's a long weekend, and a great celebration for Muslims. Sunshine and health and wellbeing are linked. I live in tropical beautiful Penang island, Pearl of the Orient!  Though there are lots of sunny days, I was having a sun avoiding behavior.   In 2016, when I was very puzzled by my faster than normal ageing rate of drop for my hip bone density. (an indication that my hip might be approaching osteoporosis early than I would like --which would mean risk of broken bone with trivial trauma/fall becoming higher, which mean I would need to adjust my lifestyle - exercise choice if I would like to prevent a hip fracture).       I decided not to assume that my Vit D level would be normal, and got myself tested. Lo and behold --, it was extremely low.  So, now, I do not try to walk very fast, when I am under the sun.  But due to my work hours and work nature...

 March 13, 2026  Chronic kidney disease is as common as 1 in 10 persons worldwide.  And almost always silent in the early and even middle stages of the illness.  But, you can know it if you test.     And Early Detection and correct response make a whole world of difference. So, step 1, get a lab  test. Go to your family doctor.   Caring for your kidney can be a step toward caring for environment, too.  Excessive protein can be harmful to the body, and excessive demand of animal protein also drives up animal husbandry which stresses the environment, beside putting on stress to the kidneys of the consumers.  "Protein powders can be damaging when taken without professional medical guidance," said Dr Ravi Bansal, director of nephrology and kidney transplant medicine There are 5 stages of chronic kidney disease.  One only needs to have dialysis when he/she gets to stage 5. So, even if you are at stage 3, there are still many things ...

 March 6, 2026   If you’re in need of some motivation to get out and be active, then sit down and read this impressive list of exercise benefits. Better still, stand up and read it. Exercise is a key contributor to people living longer, healthier , more vibrant lives .  LONGER LIFE It’s been over 30 years since researchers observed that physical activity extends life. One of the earliest studies found that champion male Finnish skiers lived, on average, over four years longer than average Finnish men.[2] More recently, an investigation of some of the longest-living people on earth— Okinawans and Seventh-day Adventists—showed that all of these groups engaged in plenty of physical activity as part of their daily living.[3,4] Researchers have examined many possible mechanisms by which exercise extends life. One study, using identical twins, probed the link between exercise and the length of telomeres. Telomeres are the protective ends of chromosomes that short...